i'll never forget when i was younger and this kid in my school got hit by a car on his bike, he was not wearing a helmet and survived, but was brain damaged. So sad. I wear a helmet all the time!

i wish there were helmets that let you wear your hair in a ponytail! that's the only thing that really, really irks me about helmets is that you have to wear your hair down or in a low ponytail. i got into the habit of not wearing one when i was younger because i loved to wear my hair in a ponytail on the crown of my head, and the helmet just didn't fit right that way.

i did hear of a teacher when i was in high school who rode his bike to school everyday (science teacher, obviously), and he got squished between a parked car and another car that thought he had enough room. the only reason why the teacher survived was because of his helmet. he still teaches, too, so no brain damage.

In Austria almost everyone wears a helmet. It's compulsory for small children to wear one. And the adults who have enough common sense wear one, because even though most accidents don't involve the head, it's better to be safe than sorry - especially when traveling at such high speeds.
Plus, sometimes it isn't even your fault, e.g. when someone skis/snowboards right into you.